Stepper Motor Controller
While I was at LabJack I helped a lot of people control electronic devices. One thing that people commonly wanted to control were stepper motors. Due to this, I developed and authored the Stepper Motor Controller Application Note. This involved developing several custom Lua scripts which get downloaded to the LabJack T-Series device and either a Python script or LabVIEW application that enables the device and the motors to be controlled.
A Lua Scripting Application
How is this possible? A lua script is loaded onto a T-series LabJack and using _RAM based registers data is passed to and from the device to control the connected stepper motor.
Application Block Diagram
An application needed to be developed that downloaded a Lua Script to a connected device. The application then reads and writes data in _RAM registers which controlls a stepper motor connected with a PS12DC.
Wiring Overview
In the above image, the following devices are connected together:
- 1x LabJack T-Series DAQ
- 1x PS12DC
- 1x 12V Power Supply (in addition to the USB conection or 5V power supply needed when communicating via Ethernet).
- 1x Stepper Motor
Stepper Motor Waveform
A LabJack creates a digital representation of the above waveform using the low-latency capabilities of Lua Scripts.
More Information?
Visit the LabJack website for more details: